A. Ismael

Photochemical Transformations of Tetrazole Derivatives: Applications in Organic Synthesis

Tetrazoles remain a challenge to photochemists. Photolysis leads to cleavage of the tetrazolyl ring, may involve various photodegradation pathways and may produce a diversity of photoproducts, depending on the structure and conformational flexibility of the substituents and the possibility of tautomerism. If the photochemistry of tetrazoles is considered within the frame of synthetic applications the subject is even more challenging, since the ultimate goal is to achieve selectivity and high yield. In addition, the photoproducts must remain stable and allow isolation or trapping, in order to be used in other reactions. This review summarises the photochemical transformations of tetrazole derivatives that can be used as effective synthetic routes to other compounds.

Tautomer selective photochemistry in 1-(tetrazol-5-yl)ethanol.

A combined matrix isolation FTIR and theoretical DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) study of the molecular structure and photochemistry of 1-(tetrazol-5-yl)ethanol [1-TE] was performed. The potential energy surface landscapes of the 1H and 2H tautomers of the compound were investigated and the theoretical results were used to help characterize the conformational mixture existing in equilibrium in the gas phase prior to deposition of the matrices, as well as the conformers trapped in the latter. In the gas phase, at room temperature, the compound exists as a mixture of 12 conformers (five of the 1H tautomer and seven of the 2H tautomer). Upon deposition of the compound in an argon matrix at 10 K, only three main forms survive, because the low barriers for conformational isomerization allow extensive conformational cooling during deposition. Deposition of the matrix at 30 K led to further simplification of the conformational mixture with only one conformer of each tautomer of 1-TE surviving. These conformers correspond to the most stable forms of each tautomer, which bear different types of intramolecular H-bonds: 1H-I has an NH···O hydrogen bond, whereas 2H-I has an OH···N hydrogen bond. Upon irradiating with UV light (λ > 200 nm), a matrix containing both 1H-I and 2H-I forms, an unprecedented tautomer selective photochemistry was observed, with the 2H tautomeric form undergoing unimolecular decomposition to azide + hydroxypropanenitrile and the 1H-tautomer being photostable.

Amino→Imino Tautomerization upon in Vacuo Sublimation of 2-Methyltetrazole Saccharinate as probed by Matrix Isolation Infrared Spectroscopy

The amino-imino tautomerization of the nitrogen-linked conjugate 2-methyltetrazole-saccharinate (2MTS) was observed upon sublimation of the compound in vacuo. As shown previously by X-ray diffraction [Ismael, A.; Paixão, J. A.; Fausto, R.; Cristiano, M. L. S. J. Mol. Struct., 2011, 1023, 128-142], in the crystalline phase the compound exists in an amino-bridged tautomeric form. Infrared spectroscopic investigation of a cryogenic matrix prepared after sublimation of a crystalline sample of 2MTS and deposition of the sublimate together with argon (in ~1:1000 molar ratio) onto an IR-transparent cold (15 K) substrate, revealed that the form of 2MTS present in the matrix corresponds to the theoretically predicted most stable imino-bridged tautomer. In this tautomer, the labile hydrogen atom is connected to the saccharine nitrogen, and the two heterocyclic fragments are linked by an imino moiety in which the double-bond is established with the carbon atom belonging to the saccharyl fragment. The observed isomeric form of this tautomer is characterized by a zusammen (Z) arrangement of the two rings around the C═N bond of the bridging group and an intramolecular NH···N hydrogen bond. The experimental IR spectrum of the matrix-isolated 2MTS has been fully assigned based on the calculated spectra for the two most stable conformers of this tautomer. A mechanism for the conversion of the tautomeric form existing in the crystal into that present in the gas phase is proposed. As a basis for the interpretation of the experimental results, a detailed theoretical [at the DFT(B3LYP) level of approximation with the 6-31++G(d,p) and 6-311++G(3df,3pd)] study of the potential energy surface of the compound was performed.

Structure and Photochemistry of a Saccharyl Thiotetrazole

The molecular structure and photochemistry of 5-thiosaccharyl-1-methyltetrazole (TSMT) were studied by means of matrix-isolation FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and theoretical calculations. The calculations predicted two conformers of TSMT that differ in energy by more than 15 kJ mol(-1). The infrared spectrum of TSMT isolated in solid argon was fully assigned on the basis of the spectrum calculated (O3LYP/6-311++G(3df,3pd)) for the most stable conformer. In the crystal, TSMT molecules were found to assume the same conformation as for the isolated molecule, with each molecule forming four hydrogen bonds with three neighboring molecules, leading to a network of TSMT oligomers. Upon UV (λ = 265 nm) irradiation of the matrix-isolated TSMT, two photodegradation pathways were observed, both arising from cleavage of the tetrazolyl ring. Pathway a involves cleavage of the N1-N2 and N3-N4 bonds with extrusion of N2, leading to photostable diazirine and thiocarbodiimide derivatives. The photostability of the photoproduced diazirine under the conditions used precluded its rearrangement to the nitrile imine, as reported for 5-phenyltetrazole by Bégué et al. ( J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012 , 134 , 5339 ). Pathway b involves cleavage of the C5-N1 and N4-N3 bonds, leading to a thiocyanate and methyl azide, the latter undergoing subsequent fragmentation to give CNH.

Exploring saccharinate-tetrazoles as selective Cu(II) ligands: structure, magnetic properties and cytotoxicity of copper(II) complexes based on 5-(3-aminosaccharyl)-tetrazoles

The role of copper in the proliferation of cancer cells is under investigation and has been explored in the context of cancer chemotherapy. The evidence that proliferation of cancer cells requires a higher abundance of Cu(II) than their normal counterparts has prompted the development of new copper chelators that can avidly bind copper ions, forming redox active metal complexes that ultimately lead to harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) in neoplasms. In this context, the mandatory properties of the chelators for medical applications are safety (neglectable cytotoxicity), high binding affinity and selectivity towards Cu(II). We report the synthesis, structure (calculations and single crystal X-ray diffraction), spectroscopic (IR; UV-Vis) and magnetic properties of two novel copper(II) complexes based on 5-(3-aminosaccharyl)-tetrazoles (TS and 2MTS), as well as their in vitro cytotoxicity against the human hepatic carcinoma cell line HepG2. Quite interestingly, we found that the saccharinate-tetrazoles tested exhibit strong binding selectivity to Cu(II), over Fe(II) and Ca(II). Additionally, the corresponding copper complexes have shown a huge increase in the in vitro cytotoxicity against tumoral cells, compared to the corresponding nontoxic ligands. Thus, the new ligands may be viewed as potential precursors of selective cytotoxic agents, acting as non-cytotoxic pro-drugs that can be activated inside neoplastic cells, known to be richer in Cu(II) than the corresponding normal cells.